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NWAkron

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Posts posted by NWAkron

  1. 5 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

    Akron, per Kenpom, had the #42 rated non-conference SOS. There were plenty of opportunities to get statement wins, but Akron lost each and every single one of those times. They also lost several games in MAC play that they had no business losing. The 14 seed was very justified.

    KReed is 100% correct.   Someone on the Creighton board wrote simply that the Zips are inconsistent and prone to scoring droughts.  Those droughts occurred in all 3 MAC tournament games.  I think the 2022 Zips were a better team at this point in the season compared to the 2024 team.  Creighton will be tough sledding for these guys.  I cleared my calendar for the MAC tournament but not for Thursday.  When the Zips make it to Saturday, I will be there.

    • Like 2
  2. 36 minutes ago, Zip JD said:

    Although Pitino did state he didn't want to go to the also-ran tournament, most of the time when this happens its schools that feel they were snubbed by the NCAA and then basically take their ball and going home in protest.  That happens almost every year and has for a long time.   It's no different than when bigger programs declining bids to lower rung bowl games when the feel they deserved a better bid.  It just happens more with hoops.

     

    With teams declining NIT bids, it makes it even worse that Toldeo got left out.  The MAC has been a one-bid NCAA tourney conference since the late '90's.  Now it has gotten so bad we are a one-bid conference for the entire post season.  

    I see both sides of it.  Toledo lost their last 7 first round games in the NIT.  The MAC was weak this season AND Toledo easily lost in first round to #8 seed.  They offered nothing to the NIT.   

     

    Edit:  Akron would offer a bit more at 108 in NET and a star player with Freeman, but that wasn't going to be enough.

  3. John Groce

     

    4-0 in MAC Tournament Finals.  

     

    Last 4 years:  2020 MAC regular season champ, 2021 MAC Semi Finals (covid year), 2022 MAC tournament champion, 2023 MAC Semi Finals, 2024 MAC tournament champion.

     

    He is an amazing coach who knows whom he trusts in crunch time.

     

     

    • Like 4
  4. 19 minutes ago, LZIp said:

    I think I read somewhere on here that someone said priority goes based on your contribution to the Z fund (or the Zips Athletic Club, whatever its called now). You'd think being a season ticket holder would get you some preference regardless of those contributions...However if not, I'm only able to make it to a few games a year anyways. It might make more sense for me to cancel the tickets and just donate that amount directly to the Z fund. At least I'd get a tax deduction..

    There's a priority point system.  The $ and frequency of donations, years of season tickets, future gifts, etc are all considered.  Also, I think players' families move to top of list.   This is how it's done at every school.   If you want control over your destiny, by from SeatGeek. 

  5. 45 minutes ago, LZIp said:

    Looks about right. Princeton lost to 13-17 Brown yesterday, so may bump us up to the last 13 seed as I don’t see them getting in. 

    VCU could be knocked out today, opening up a 13.   Not sure where the Dukes would fall into place.

     

    UC Davis replaced by LCJ's first school Long Beach State.  Fairfield is also out.

  6. the watch party is rather anti-climatic.  I've gone to a few.  You wait around and then hear "UCLA in Portland" or "VCU in Detroit."  And you are like "is that all there is?"

     

    I think this one may be a bit more special because of the seniors.

  7. This team.  Their ups and downs.  The scrounging for points.  The comebacks.  The losses of big leads.  The membership in the "Bricklayers Union" has certainly stressed this message board to the brink.  The fact that after all this crazy the final game is Akron v Kent is surreal.  16 points in the first half of MAC semi final?  and win?  the only tiny glimmer of hope was that OU only had 26.  Groce beats Boals and Ohio in Cleveland.  Big Deal.

  8. 10 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:


    Stan Heath has a 26-55 record at EMU and 236-262 record over 16 years as a head coach, after starting at 30-6 at PCCC with Gary Waters recruits.  I think that qualifies as awful.

    Same old garbage on here from the haters.  When things go bad for a game, they go down to their basements and troll the rest of us.   It's sad that they find pleasure in being douchebags.

    • Like 2
    • Thumbs down 1
  9. 47 minutes ago, monrowe said:

    It must be extremely hard to recruit when your best player is neither a recruit or a transfer.Wanting to know the status of recruitment is not a complaint.

     

     

    Do you have some "right" to know the status of recruiting?  are you the AD?  On the board of trustees?  President Miller?   Major donor?  If you are a donor, even then you don't have any need to know the status of recruiting.  

  10. 53 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

     On the post game, Groce indicated that we lost the game because we lost the turnover battle and the battle on the offensive boards.  But I thought Joe Dunn had a better incite in that we just don't have players who can shoot.  It seems like every game I look at the stats after the first 10 minutes and we are 0 for 10 on the 3 ball.  The guys in the starting lineup and the first subs cannot make a 3.  I am firmly convinced that Tavari should be inserted into the starting lineup if no other reason than he is the best of the rest.

    Pretty much.  I'm sure these guys could shoot at some point.  But they feed off each other's misses and makes.

  11. Agree with whoever said it's basically Akron, Toledo, and Ohio as the possible winners.  We also agree that Zips can't win if they play like they have since JMU game.  Groce can't make the 3 point heaves go in the hole.  Making 3s relieves the stress.  I expect nothing.

  12. Any of us could say Zips need a PG or another big.  That's easy.  We aren't tasked with recruiting them.  I'm certain the coaching staff has a wish list but good luck finding what you want each year, especially now.  Constant complaining about what the Zips "don't have" isn't constructive discussion for an anonymous mid major athletics message board. 😴

    • Like 2
  13. If they do something like that, they need to be transparent with the season ticket holders and donors who pay a premium for those.  Each of those seats comes with an "Athletic Club" donation of $500 per seat.  Maybe make those seats open for some games and not others but only for season ticket holders outside the lower bowl.  But they have professionals in place to handle these decisions, no?

  14. So Thornton is the MAN against NIU (apart from missed FTs), but against another directional school he's basically benched?  Prather gets these great minutes and then doesn't play in crunch time.  this is some high level dysfunction.  There's two teams:  Freeman, Tribble, Ali and then the rest.

  15. 7 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

    Could it be that maybe they're just not as good as we thought/hoped they were?

    That was obvious from the beginning.  And I get a sense that everyone but Freeman has lost the fire in his belly.  Freeman's turnovers etc (my dime store psychology) may be out of frustration from getting NO help from his teammates.

     

    "John's Next Endeavor"

  16. 42 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

    As of right now, this is probably Groce's worst coaching effort during his Akron tenure. There was obviously some top end talent missing at the pg position, but on paper coming into this season this looked to be his deepest team. Also, it was spearheaded by 2 players that were projected to be 1st team All-MAC. Given how bad the MAC is this season, they team should have went 16-2 or 17-1 and ran away with the conference title. Instead, players have regressed and disappeared.

     

    This post isn't really me trying to criticize anyone in particular. It's just me voicing my disappointment and coming to the realization that we had a player of Freeman's caliber and couldn't turn it into an NCAA tournament win.

    I've been loathe to criticize Groce because, god knows, I could never do what he does.  Geez, that was one of the worst losses at the JAR, by a decent Akron team, that I can remember.  Losing to that awful coach and that awful team in that way with everything else going on is rock bottom for Groce.   Down to the last game of the regular season, and he can't decide whom he trusts on the court?  Thornton and Scott were down and out on the bench.   I don't care so much about an NCAA tournament win.  But this team should have been the favorite going into next week.  They've certainly lowered expectations.

    • Like 3
  17. Nothing I've seen makes me believe this team will make it past Thursday.  A couple players need to get hot from 3 otherwise, as we all know, Freeman's teammates are essentially feeding him to the wolves.  That has to be draining on him physically and mentally.  As a fan, the later game is easier for me.  If they win next week, all is forgiven but you have to wonder why this team can't coalesce.  The answer is not having LCJ or Castaneda.  As we've seen since Groce arrived at Akron, he can scrounge together a team to keep the Zips competitive.  However, Hankerson, Thornton, and Scott couldn't and can't get it done.

    • Like 3
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